It was a heartfelt reunion between a family of three and an off-duty police officer after he rescued them from a ditch in Delta last Wednesday.

Alyse McDonald greeted Const. Aaron Jabs and wife Cherri Monday morning with a bouquet of roses and hugs during their first meeting since the crash. 

“I’m grateful that they had the heart … to stop and help us,” said McDonald.

On Feb. 1 around 7 a.m., McDonald was driving along Highway 17 with her two children, Jordan, 6, and Haylee, 2, when she swerved to avoid hitting ducks crossing the road.

The car ended up in a ditch. Jordan and Alyse were able to push open the door and swim to safety, but Haylee was still trapped upside down in the car seat.

Const. Aaron Jabs, who was driving with his family to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, spotted a boy waving his arms by the side of the road and rushed to the family’s aid. 

“Once you’re in the mode, you just react,” said Jabs.

Jabs is being praised a hero, but he insists six-year-old Jordan deserves the credit.

“If he wasn’t up there, you couldn’t see the car. It was pitch black,” said Cherri Jabs. “His arms were waving in the air and he was very brave.”

“I think he’s the real hero,” said her husband, of Jordan’s efforts.

The family survived the incident with only minor injuries.